


Bound

by sushishin



Series: Camelove 2021: Gillventures [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, Lancelot is tethered to the mortal world via Gilli's ring, Post-Episode: s04e02 The Darkest Hour, only the Cailleach knows why and she's not telling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29310639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushishin/pseuds/sushishin
Summary: Lancelot steps through the veil, and finds himself haunting Gilli, of all people.He wants a word with the Cailleach.
Relationships: Lancelot & Gilli (Merlin)
Series: Camelove 2021: Gillventures [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150928
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13
Collections: Camelove 2021





	Bound

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Camelove 2021 - Day 2: Knights in Shining Armour

Lancelot turns away from the veil. Once he steps through, there will be nothing; he’ll never see anyone ever again, and he just wants one last look. Merlin looks distraught, and the sight twists his stomach, but the alternative? Unthinkable. He has had time, these past few days, to really think about what’s truly important, and it’s Merlin, of course it is, how could it be anyone else? Lancelot would walk through the tattered veil of the universe a thousand times for him.

If only he could just see Merlin’s smile again, keep the image of it seared on the underside of his eyelids as he walks into oblivion - 

It’s almost as if Merlin himself waves at him from inside the veil, and that can’t be right, but Lancelot shakes his head, laughs, steps forward - 

And jolts his knees on the rocky ground. 

“What the - ” 

The sun shines overhead, and as Lancelot looks around, he’s surrounded by trees, just like any other patch of forest outside Camelot that he would have patrolled with the knights. There’s a young man sitting in front of him who gives a yell. Lancelot holds his hands up placatingly. “Please,” he says, and tries to slow the frantic beating of his heart, “Am I dead?”

The expression of shock on the man’s face gives way to suspicion. “ _What are you_ ,” he hisses, brows furrowed, raising one hand towards Lancelot, palm open. His ring glints in the sunlight; the gesture is strangely reminiscent of Merlin, and gods, but it’s barely been five minutes, how is he going to do this? 

“Er,” says Lancelot, “Dead?”

The man opens his mouth, closes it, then stares at him for some time. Lancelot waits; he has all the time in the world, probably. “You appeared out of thin air,” he says finally. “Are you magic?”

“No!” This does not placate the man, who raises his eyebrows and gestures impatiently at Lancelot. “I don’t know how I got here, truly,” he says. “I just stepped through the veil. Is this the spirit world?”

The man laughs. “This? The spirit world? No - you’re in Camelot.” 

Camelot?

“Tell me,” he says urgently, “What of the dorocha - are they gone?”

“They disappeared some months ago,” says the man. “You really don’t know? Who are you?”

Lancelot can’t speak for the sheer _relief_ he feels, and he cannot stop the wide grin splitting his face; the man looks at him as if he is unhinged. No matter - his sacrifice was not for naught. Though it seems to have not been quite so big a sacrifice, now. Only a few months lost!

“I am Lancelot, one of the knights of Camelot,” he says, and holds out a hand. 

“You look like one,” the man mutters. He scrubs a hand through his cropped brown hair, then stands up. “My name’s Gilli,” he says, and reaches out to shake hands - as their palms brush, Lancelot abruptly feels something _lurch_ in his stomach - he blinks -

The man has disappeared. What is this place? Surely it is not Camelot. He moves to draw his sword, and finds nothing there; glancing down, he is no longer wearing maille, but a light brown tunic. Strange, that was what the other man had been wearing… He catches sight of his strangely pale hand, adorned with a ring he surely had never worn before - 

_Get out of my head!_

Lancelot glances around warily, but there’s nobody there. He’s hearing things. 

_You’re hearing me,_ says the voice, and it does sound like the man from earlier. _Because it is!_

“Gilli?” And how strange, to hear that voice coming out of his mouth - 

_It’s not yours - get OUT!_

There’s that tugging in his stomach again, and suddenly he’s standing in front of Gilli again. His ears are ringing. Gilli glares at him, arms wrapped tightly around his torso, panting. 

“I’m sorry,” says Lancelot, immediately. “I did not mean to…”

“Possess me?” 

“No,” says Lancelot. “The Cailleach demanded a blood sacrifice to mend the tear between the spirit and mortal worlds,” says Lancelot quietly. “She did not mention this. Though I guess I am truly dead.” 

Gilli sighs, shrugs. “Something like that.”

“I really am sorry,” says Lancelot. He's tormenting this poor man. Since when can he possess people? “I should leave.” He’s not sure why he’s here, and not in the spirit world, but he could at least make the best of it, visit everyone… Though what reception will he have in Camelot, as a spirit? Never mind, he’ll find out - it’ll be worth it to see Merlin’s face, anyway - and it’s not as if he could die _again_. 

“Thank you,” he says, “For your - ”

“Just go,” says Gilli. He raises an arm, and points wearily. “If you go that direction, you’ll hit the road. Then go left,” he says. “To head to Camelot, that is.”

Lancelot nods. There’s nothing more to say, and so he starts walking towards the road. He finds that he can’t push branches away from his path; his hands go right through them, and isn’t that a strange feeling. It’s accompanied by a strange tugging in his chest; it’s as if someone is trying to tug him backwards. He’s barely walked ten steps when he’s stopped by a yell. 

“My ring!” Lancelot whirls around; Gilli is frantically trying to pry his ring off his finger. Lancelot dashes back, but as he arrives, the other man seems to relax. “It felt like it was trying to tear my finger off,” says Gilli. “It’s stopped, now.” He squints suspiciously at Lancelot. “It’s you, isn’t it.”

“I don’t know.” Nothing about this day has made any lick of sense.

“You’re stuck with me.” Gilli fiddles with the ring, tries, and fails, to tug it off his finger. “Damn.”

“I guess you’re coming with me to Camelot, then,” Lancelot says, because he _must_ go to Camelot. “Please, Gilli, I have to see them,” says Lancelot, “At least once.”

Gilli glares at him, unmoving. “You know what they’ll do to me, there, if I’m found out?”

Lancelot hadn’t quite known, but of course, Gilli’s ring must be magic… 

“I know,” says Lancelot, and he hates himself for asking a stranger to do this for him. “My friends - Merlin probably thinks it’s his _fault_ ,” and why has that thought only struck him now? It’s been months for Merlin, and Lancelot needs to see him, check if he’s okay. 

Gilli startles. “Merlin, you said?”

“Yes, Merlin, the prince’s manservant.” It doesn’t feel right to reduce Merlin to Prince Arthur’s manservant; he’s so much more than that. 

“I met him, during the tournament,” says Gilli, and he tilts his head contemplatively. “He helped me.” He stares down at his hands. “He was lonely. If it’s for Merlin... okay. We can go.”

“Thank you,” says Lancelot, and he thinks of all those he had left at Camelot. How different it would be, now. Then - “He thinks I’m dead,” breathes Lancelot.

“You are,” says Gilli, and he almost sounds gentle. “But he’ll be happy to see you, anyway.”

**Author's Note:**

> I won't get to it as part of Camelove - but gosh do I have _plans_ for these two! They're going to get into shenanigans before arriving in Camelot, and I can't wait for them to work out the implications of Lancelot being able to possess Gilli...
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments always appreciated :)


End file.
